The Bridge Church exists to help people to BELIEVE in Jesus, to BELONG to Jesus, and to BECOME like Jesus.
Matthew 4:19 | “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 28:19-20 | Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
BELIEVE IN JESUS
As followers of Jesus, we are given the mission to go into the world and make disciples. We invite others to follow Jesus by believing in Him.
John 3:16 | “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
BELONG TO JESUS
When we give our life to Jesus, we are adopted into the family of God. Under the ownership of Jesus and in the family of God we find where we belong. There is security in the arms of Jesus.
John 10:27-28 | My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
BECOME LIKE JESUS
Jesus not only saves us, but He teaches us how to live as children of God. The sign that we are becoming like Jesus is that we start to love like Jesus loves us.
John 13:34-35 | “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
WE ARE THE ALLIANCE.
The Alliance was born out of a passion for Jesus and a heart for lost people. Centered in Him and empowered by His Spirit, our message remains unchanged and our mission remains uncompromising–until all have had the opportunity to hear of His inbounding grace, unrestrained mercy, and unyielding love.
Gabe Norton
Pastor
Gabe & Jessica Norton and their family started serving at the Bridge in August of 2021.
Gabe loves spending time with His family, a good cup of coffee, and watching the Minnesota Vikings.
His favorite verses is Acts 4:13: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
Statement of Faith
I like to introduce myself by the callings God has placed on my life.
First and most importantly, God called me to be a follower of Jesus. I first said yes to Jesus as a young child growing up in an amazing Christian home. My parents introduced me to Jesus so early in life that I really don’t remember a time without faith in Him. I am called to follow Jesus, and this calling will last for all eternity.
Second, I believe God called me to be a husband. I was the ripe old age of twenty when I felt called to marry my beautiful wife. Jessica and I were married in June of 2002, and I have been blessed to have her in my life ever since. I am called to be a husband, and this calling will last for the rest of my life here on this earth.
Third, God called me to be a father. God called me to this by blessing Jessica and I with six children who we are raising to follow Him. Alyssa, Elliana, Kayla, Isaiah, Annabella, and Ariya are gifts He placed in our lives and called us to parent for His glory. While I will always be their dad, this calling is temporary as it will change greatly as they grow up and start families of their own. Along the way God has also called us to show His love by becoming foster parents.
The last calling God has placed on my life is He called me to be a pastor. My dad is a pastor and while I was a kid, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said; “anything but a pastor.” As the saying goes, “man plans, and God laughs.” While serving at Big Sandy Camp as a volunteer as a young teenager, God powerfully got a hold of my heart and called me to pastoral ministry. This led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree from Crown College and embarking on a journey of serving His church.
I served as an associate/youth pastor for seven years in Apple Valley, MN and a lead pastor for seven years in Elbow Lake, MN. I am thrilled that God has called our family to Watertown, SD and we look forward to many years here serving Him.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
There is one God,(1) who is infinitely perfect,(2) existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.(3)
Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man.(4) He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.(5) He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust,(6) as a substitutionary sacrifice,(7) and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.(8) He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures.(9) He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest.(10) He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace.(11)
The Holy Spirit is a divine person,(12) sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer,(13) and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.(14)
The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.(15)
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God:(16) he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature,(17) are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.(18) The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment;(19) and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss.(20)
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God.(21)
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,(22) being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.(23) This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.(24)
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body.(25) Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.(26)
The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, (27) which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.(28) The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.(29)
There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life;(30) for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.(31)
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent(32) and will be personal, visible, and premillennial.(33) This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.(34)
[1] Deuteronomy 6:4, [2] Matthew 5:48, [3] Matthew 28:19, [4] Philippians 2:6–11, [5] Luke 1:34–38, [6] 1 Peter 3:18, [7] Hebrews 2:9, [8] Romans 5:9, [9] Acts 2:23–24, [10] Hebrews 8:1, [11] Matthew 26:64, [12] John 14:15–18, [13] John 16:13; Acts 1:8, [14] John 16:7–11, [15] 2 Peter 1:20–21; 2 Timothy 3:15–16, [16] Genesis 1:27, [17] Romans 3:23, [18] 1 Corinthians15:20–23, [19] Revelation 21:8, [20] Revelation 21:1–4, [21] Titus 3:4–7, [22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, [23] Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1–14, [25] Matthew 8:16–17, [26] James 5:13–16, [27] Ephesians 1:22–23, [28] Matthew 28:19–20, [29] Acts 2:41–47, [30] 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, [31] John 5:28–29, [32] Hebrews 10:37, [33] Luke 21:27, [34] Titus 2:11–14
Service Times
We gather to worship in person and online, SUNDAYS at 10:15am.
Location
810 Jensen Ave. SE
Watertown, SD 57201
Contact Us
(605) 878-1000
Gabe@thebridgewatertown.com